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to the conclusion that Freemasonry is a benefit society , which it is open to any one who can obtain an introduction and possesses the necessary qualifications to join , Jand from which , when he has been admitted , it will be in his power , or in that of his wife and children , should sickness or calamity or death overtake him , to obtain some direct and tangible benefit . But we ,

at all events , know that Freemasonry is differently constituted from the Oddfellows or Foresters . We do not invite men to join our ranks , and we make a point of requiring from all who seek to be initiated the solemn declaration that they have been influenced to join the Society for its own sake , and not from any unworthy motives of ulterior gain to themselves or

their families . In spite , however , of all the precautions that are taken , and the advice so constantly urged by such brethren as our late Grand Secretary HERVEY and Bro . Col . SHADWELL H . CLERKE , the present occupant of that important office , men are sometimes admitted into our lodges who should never have been accepted as Masons , and , as was pointed out at

the Boys' School Quarterly Court , on the 26 th ult ., there are good grounds for believing that the admission of such persons has had the effect of largely increasing the number of applicants for the benefits of our several Institutions . We trust that the Rule , as it now stands , which requires that for a boy to be accepted as candidate his father must have been seven years a

member of some lodge , or must have been stricken by death or calamity incapacitating him from work within that period , will have the desired effect of keeping out of our ranks those who would join us from motives of self-interest , and , at the same time , of reducing the pressure on the

resources of our Charities . It is a part of our duty—which every true Mason is only too glad to discharge—to help the sorely afflicted brother or his family ; but it does not come within our province to relieve the mere adventurer , who only desires to extract as much as possible out of the Society .

* * ^ , „ . THE Province of North Wales , like that of Shropshire , has The Province .... .... of made the most of the opportunities it has enjoyed since its North Wales . constitution as a separate district . Its organisation is now as

complete as it ever will be , its funds are in a prosperous condition , and every year it continues to raise the wherewithal to substantially assist our central Masonic Charitable Institutions . When , speaking Masonically , it formed the greater half of the Province of North Wales and Shropshire , ° under the late Bro . Sir W . WILLIAMS-WYNN , Bart ., it discharged its obligations with

punctuality and goodwill ; as a Province by itself under the rule of Bro . Lord HARLECH , it shows itself to be equally punctual and well-disposed , while the friendly rivalry which seems to exist between it and Shropshire—its old associate—has apparently had the effect of stimulating it to still greater exertions in behalf of Freemasonry . So , at least , vve gather from the

proceedings of its Provincial Grand Lodge , which met at Carnarvon on the 17 th ult ., when the reports of the executive Provincial officers and the remarks of the Provincial Grand Master most clearly indicated that its affairs were being well administered , and , as a consequence , were in a thoroughly satisfactory position . It had largely added to its voting

strength during the past year ; its Charitable Association , notwithstanding a slight falling off in the number of its subscribing members , had a considerable balance in its favour ; and there is the promise of a new Iodge shortly being formed at Llanberis . During its brief career as a Province it has raised some . £ 1400 for our principal Institutions—that is to say , in

1886 , £ 220 ; in 188 7 , £ 410 ; and in 1888 , £ 780 , the contributions at the Girls' School Centenary being entered as £ 664 . These are most creditable returns , and reflect the highest credit on our North Wales [ brethren , who have shown thus conspicuously that the Charity they believe in is not confined to words . Indeed , there seems to be no branch of Masonic labour in

which the Province has not maintained and even enlarged its ancient fame , and we feel that we are only giving proper expression to the feelings of our readers when we say that North Wales has their entire sympathy as well as their heartiest good wishes for a long continuance of its present prosperity .

Historical Sketch Of The Lodge St. Mungo, No. 27, Glasgow.

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE LODGE ST . MUNGO , No . 27 , GLASGOW .

By the courtesy of Bro . James Dick , the present genial R . W . Master of "St . Mungo" Lodge , Glasgow , No . 27 , formerly No . 28 , I have been enabled to look through the existing records of that venerable Institution . It seems to have been formed for the express purpose of receiving speculative (?) brethren who were not eligible in the parent body , St . John ' s , now 3 bis ., which was purely operative till about 1842 , and for some 200 years

previously onl y accepted persons connected with the building trade , with which it was closely indentified , for the Deacon of the Incorporation of Masons vvas ipso facto Master of St . John ' s Lodge . The first nine pages of their earliest minute book have gone amissing , and we begin in the midst of " Regulations " for the guidance of the lodge . The Initiation fee was five Merks with one shilling each to the Secretary

and Tyler , besides a " moderate treat" to the Br . present : while four Merks were charged for passing . There is so far no mention of the Third Degree , but the Master was empowered to commission any " Master Mason" ( sic ) to receive entrants ; but the next by-law puts a somewhat different complexion 6 n this permission , for it is enacted " that any of the members of the Lodge may enter and pass persons without acquainting the Master , at Two Miles distant from Glasgow , " provided that they handed

over the proceeds to the Treasurer . Fees of honour were enforced , for the R . W . M . had to pay five shillings sterling money into the box , and the other oflice bearers two shillings each . Unless the yearly subscription of one shilling each was paid , no brother was eligible for office or allowed to vote . At this point we note the attestation "at our Lodge of St . John , Saint Mungo ' s , Kirk of Glasgow Kilwinning , the sixth day of February , 1729 . " In the minutes of 2 nd August , 1762 , vve find that Grand Lodge speaks of them in the charter " as a pendicle of "

Historical Sketch Of The Lodge St. Mungo, No. 27, Glasgow.

"the ancient Mother Lodge of Kilwinning * " The official date ot the charter is given as 1736 . We have the customary rules as to keep ing the keys of the box , & c , and also a statute that the Articles of Association should be read over annually prior to the election of officers . In 176 7 the entry money was 7 s . 6 d ., with 2 s . 6 d . for passing and raising , which latter sum went to " St . Mary ' s , " Edinburgh , evidently meant for Grand Lod ge wnicn met in tne

sameounaing as wiary unapei . tnis is tne hrst reference to the Third Degree . " Any person who has been admitted a Mason , and has not joined a ' regular body ' before his admission as a member of this Lodge must pay 4 s . 6 d ., " and the joining fee was 3 s . for members of other recognised bodies . To meet the difficulty of non-acceptance when appointed to office it was resolved , in 1769 , that fines , ranging from 2 s . 6 d . for an inferior post up to 7 s . 6 d . in the case of the Master , should be enforced on recalcitrants .

We now discover , as in other lodges , that the authorities began to find some difficulty in obtaining payment of the deferred fees for entering , & c . Very few appear to have practised " cash payments "—the majority gave acceptances for the amount , and in not a few instances the li quidation of these debts of honour is not traceable in the cash book , which dates from 1788 ; for example , one balance-sheet shows cash received / 22 , while the

fees owing are £ 56 , and this , after more stringent rules had been passed . The abuse finally became so clamant that entries occur of payment to Sheriff Officers ( debt receivers , & c . ) for expenses incurred in the attempt to collect the outstanding amounts , and for commission paid in cases where satisfaction had been obtained . In January , 1798 , some intrants of 178 9 and 1790 are credited with the guinea fee they had so long owed to the Treasurer .

The then considerable gratuity of 21 s . was in 1774 voted to a brother who "had been a member of this lodge upwards of fifty years " ( but this may be a mis-statement possibly . ) Evidently in a liberal vein , they determined to allow fourpence as expenses to each of their members when on "deputation" duty . The Bi-centenary of the Spanish Armada vvas duly celebrated with bonfires , and a joint gatheringof the City Lodges ;

but politics were rigidly excluded . Of the 7 Lodges which took part in the laying of the Foundation-stone of the Royal Infirmary , in 1792 , onlv 3 now remain , viz .: St . Mungo , Union and Crown , and St . John ' s . Shortly after this , we find No . 27 claiming precedence in processions , in which it was upheld by Grand Lodge , and , eventually , St . John ' s was ignored ( as far as its trade position rendered possible ) until 1850 , when this

admittedly ancient body yielded homage , and became 3 bis on the Grand Roll . At the latter end of last century , the benefactions were very meagre , for in eight years only 12 s . 7 ^ d . was voted as relief . In 1811 and the following year , 26 s . was dispensed in Charity , although there vvas a charge of Four guineas for a Band , with 16 s . 6 d . for toddy to quench the thirst of the players , and an annual item of 20 s . to three pounds " ior a Transparency . "

While K . R . H . Mackenzie and Dr . Mackey give 1801 as the first mention of the phrase " Sublime Degree , " I find this term used here on 20 th July , 1785 , and , in 1793 , three guardsmen were entered , passed , and raised to the Sublime Degree of M . M . The minutes were probably written up at about their respective dates , for they are usually certified bv the signatures of the neophytes , as well as of the presiding officer . We

meet with a very pleasing entry in February , and again in March , 1794 , for we are informed that the R . W . M . gave a Masonic Lecture on the Apprentice Degree , which vvas greatly appreciated . Pity it is that so good a beginning vvas not continued . In 1767 , new rules were brought into existence , which the intrants vvere required to sign , and did so to the number of 115 ; the officers at this time seemed mainly " coal-hewers . "

Mahomet Calibi , an Algerine , was , in 17 S 5 , admitted a member , after being duly vouched for . Three years later , vve discover the use of a rectangular figure to denote a lodge—and in a minute of this date , 7 members ( including two from Ireland ) sign themselves as being K . T . Honorary Members became plentiful , and almost every meeting saw an addition to their numbers—the Cheshire Militia Band

vvere admitted on condition that they should play for the Lodge during their stay in Glasgow . At the commencement of this century " St . Mungo " vvas dormant for 4 years , but after its revival , times continued unfavourable . They were at one period seven years in arrears with their payments to Grand Lodge . Amongst their more questionable practices was the attempt to make money by sale of intoxicants . In order to buy cheaply they invested largely in Rum , with the necessary concomitants , but while one year

showed a profit of four pounds , the whole transaction vvas not a success . The Tyler and Secretary were allowed 1 / - worth of toddy apiece , afterwards increased to 1 / 6 per night . One result of this traffic appears in the constantly recurring entries in the Cash Book for the repair or renewal of candlesticks and furniture , and the replenishment of the stock of g lasses ! On one occasion the Treasurer got the loan of a pound , on the understanding that it should become a gratuity if he brought up some new intrants .

Those are now forgotten records , only interesting to the student , for in common fairness vve must conclude our remarks by a frank statement that after a varied experience of the many changes of fickle fortune , this ancient lodge has now become firmly established , and if the offices continue to be

filled by as able and energetic brethren as have of recent years directed No . 27 , vve feel sure that St . Mungo will flourish so long as the grand old Cathedral of her Patron Saint looks down on the city named after him , who also furnished a designation to the lodge whose history we have had under review . EDW . MACBEAN , 207 6 .

Old Freemasons.

OLD FREEMASONS .

It will be some time before our American friends are able to match our late Bro . Tresidder , who , at the time of his death , was in his 103 rd year , and had been a Mason since the year 1 S 05 ; but the Tyler , of Detroit , Michigan , in a recent article , enumerates several brethren still living who vvere initiated into Freemasonry when the present century had only j ust entered or vvas still in its " teens . " The first on the list is a Bro . Richard

Holmes , of Lake Eloida , near Farmersville , who was born 27 th April , 17 ^ 7 ' and initiated in 1 S 13 , and is now an honorary member of Farmersville Lodge . Bro . Holmes is described as being in remarkable health and strength and with his mental facalties still unimpaired . Our contemporary s surmise that he is probably " the oldest Mason , not only living in Canada but in the United States , " we should consider in all likelihood correct . The

next ancient brother is a Bro . David J . Baker , a retired farmer of Dry den , New York , who is in his 95 th year , and was initiated in Sylvan Lodge , No 41 , Moravia , on the 27 th March , 1816 ; and the third is a Bro . E . Sumner ,